Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-03-11
SACRAMENTAL SUNDAY.
NEARLY FOUR HUNDRED NEW MEN,
BEERS FOR DR.. TALMAGE.

lyn Divine's Latest Revival at the
You For o Memorial
BROOKLYN, March 6.-This is sacramental
day in the Brooklyn Tabernacle, and the ser
mon is preached at the reception of three
hundred and forty seven new members, max
ing six hundred and ninety received during
the present revival, SO that the communicate
membership now is four thousand and fifty
one. The Rev. 7. Dewitt Talmage, d. D.,
the pastor, gave the right hand of fellowship
to the new members, and baptized about
ninety. The audience sang:
Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love.
There was great arch of flowers over the
pulpit, containing the words: II believe in
the communion of saints" DIR. Talmage took
two texts: / Chronicles, xiii, 5: "And
four thousand praised the Lord" and Exodus
Xii, IA: "This day shall be unto you for
memorial" He said:
When week before last the communicant
membership of this church passed into the
four thousand, now reaching four thousand
and fifty-one, the first part of my text came
to my mind, and bethought myself what
grand thing it would be if the four thousand
of our communicate membership would, like
the four thousand of the ancient Temple,
make it their lifetime business to praise the
Lord Let them all take harp and timbrel
and anthem and doxology!
The allusion of my second text is to the
Passover, which commemorated the deliver
ance of the children of Israel on the night
when the destroying angel sped through the
land of Egypt, destroying the enemy out
saving the Israelites, because on the door
posts of their dwellings was sprinkled the
blood of a lamb. To-day we come to cele-
brate a grander Passover, all peril going
away from our soul at the sight OF the
sprinkled blood of the Lamb of God on the
doorposts of our hearts. Christ, our Passover,
sacrificed for u.s. ''This day shall be unto
you for a memorial"
The sacramental Sabbath, whether it comes
in an American church or an English chapel,
or a Scotch kirk, is more impressive than any
other Sabbath. Its light is hoher, calmer,
sweeter; its voices more tender, its touch is
softer, its memories are more chastened. The
fruits of the Christian life suddenly ripen like
orchards on the hill fronting the south. The
wine of the holy sacrament seems pressed
from the grapes of celestial vineyards, and
the bread broken seems to drop from the hand
of him who parted the loaves for 5000. We
walk to the church of God with more thought
full face and with quieter step. The Jubhant
SONGS of other Sundays are struck
through with pensiveness and are all a.
tremble with tears; and when at the close
of the service, at the door we shake hands, 1t
is with a more cordial grasp, because we feel
thrilling through our body and mind and
soul the great doctrines of Christian brother
hood: and our minds go back to our forefath-
ers celebrating the sacrament in times of per-
secution in Scotland among the Highlands;
commemorating the dying love of Christ,
while they were pursued of their enemies,
pouring the wine into rough wooden cups,
dipping the waters of baptism from the
mountain rock, until one day they heard the
voices of their enemies coming up the
hill. and the pastor cried out: "Oh, Lord,
the Shepherd, have mercy on the sheep!"
and instantly there was a roaring heard
as of great floods, and sure enough cloud
had burst and there were great torrents run
ming down the mountain side that whelmed
their foes with sudden wrath. What deliv-
GRANGE it was for them on that sacramental
dayl Oh. that on this sacramental day the
cloud of Gods mercy might burst and our
sins be whelmed and our souls be saved! This
is the amethyst of days. This is the pearl of
DAYS. This is the diamond of days. This is
the day of DAYS. Among the ten thousand
million ages of eternity the first Sabbath OF
March. 1887, will be to you significant and
memorable, for 'this day shall be unto you"
forever and forever "a memorial"
There is much in the scene of to-day to I'M
Sc nf 70.
ment 1 used to remark that if I ever lived
TO see our membership reach 1900 thought
I would be willing to say with one of old:
"Now, Lord, lettest thou thy servant depart
in peace. for mine eyes have seen thy saliva
ton" But have changed my mind, and
never SO much wanted to stay as now, so as
to see them all enlisted for God and to watch
their victories. What might they not accom-
plish in the way of making the world better
If thew were all baptized with double
portion of the Holy Ghostl -Four thousand!
That is four full regiments as military men
count thousand to regiment think not
one hypocrite among them. Taken into the
church sometimes in large numbers, but each
one as carefully examined as to change of
heart, and evidence of regeneration as though
he or she were the only one presenting HIM
self or herself Many of our former members
have passed away into the skies and have
Joined the church triumphant, but we have
600 and more left for the church militant
To arms! Quit you like menl We want no
reserve corps among them. TO into actlon
all of you. Some will be officers in COM
mand; some will make cavalry charge; some
will be sharpshooters; some will stand guard; ;
some will be on picket duty; many OF you
will belong to the rank and file Let there
he no stragglers, none off on furlough, not
one deserter. With Christ for commander in
chief, and the one starred, blood striped BAN
ner of Manager and cross to lead the way, l
give the order that the general in the war
gave, when rising in his stirrups, his hair
aying in the wind, he cried out till all the
host heard him: "Forward! the whole liner
There is also something in such a scene to
deeply impress one. because it rehearses a
death scene. Now, you know, there is some
thing very touching in such an incident.
Though you are in hotel, and iti stranger
that is dying, how softly you move about the
place, and if you come up to his couch, 1t is
with uncovered head. Even the voice OF the
Jester is stopped, and when the eyes of that
stranger are closed it is with emotion. But
am to tell you this morning of death such
has never DeIOfo OF SlIlCo OCCuIIcu w AcA
we die, we die for ourselves and the crises is
alleviated by all benefcent ministries. Bath
ines for the hands, bathings for the head
bathings for the feet; the light turned down
low or set in just the right place; all the OH
ces of affection about us when we come to die
But not so with Jesus. He died not for him
self but he died in torment and he died fol
Others He might have moved around ir
gardens made by his own hand, an earthly
potentate amid vineyards and olive groves
sloping to the sea. Instead Of being tossed
in the fishing boat on Tiberius he might
hive chosen a sunshiny day and a pleasant
wave for the lake crossing. Instead of being
followed by an unwashed rabble he NIGH
have charmed sanhedrims and universities
with his eloquence. Instead of cross and {
bunch of twisted brambles on his brow HI
might have died in the castle of a Roman
merchant. the air bland with lilies and frank
incense But no; he died in torture; thu
good for the bad; the kind for the cruel; the
wise for the ignorant; the divine for the hui
man. Oh how tenderly we feel towards any
one who has done great kindness and per-
b APPS at the imperiling of his own lifei ROW
we ought to feel towards Christ, the captain
of salvation on the white horse riding down
our foes; but in the moment he made the
victorious charge, the lances of death stru tx
him!
There was very touching scene among an
Indian tribe in the last century. 1t seemed